(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law the "Philippine Salt Industry Development Act," which aims to strengthen and revitalize the salt industry.

The law, signed on March 11, is part of the administration's efforts to ramp up development in rural parts of the country.

Republic Act 15985 mandates that appropriate technology and research and adequate financial, production, marketing and other support services will be provided to salt farmers to revitalize the salt industry, attain increased production, achieve salt sufficiency and become an exporter of salt.

"It is further the policy of the state to preserve, protect, and rehabilitate the natural environment in the actualization of its developmental policies," the law says.

A Philippine salt industry development roadmap will be formulated and established to ensure the attainment of the objectives of the law, which are aligned with the goals and continued implementation of Republic Act 8172, or "An Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide" (ASIN).

Further, RA 15985 orders the creation of a "Salt Council" to ensure the unified and integrated implementation of the salt road map and accelerate the modernization and industrialization of the Philippine salt industry. The council will be chaired by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The DA is tasked to ensure "that salt is a priority commodity to be produced locally in areas or regions" mentioned in the legislation with needed allocations to be provided by the agency.

Moreover, the DA will encourage salt farming and expand the number of salt-producing areas; ensure the sustainable production, management and harvesting, and soil and water conservation process in salt farming areas; promote public and private investments in the salt industry development programs; and ensure the sustainability and viability of the salt industry through the establishment of cooperatives among salt farmers and salt producers to optimize local production and improve access to government interventions, assistance, and incentives.

RA 15985 likewise directs the DA to advance market access for Philippine salt products locally and internationally; support research and development activities for salt production and processing and introduce new and appropriate technology based on R&D outputs; ensure regular funding for salt production, processing, commercial and marketing programs and projects and provide technical and financial assistance; and provide continuous training and capacity building in the salt industry.

The secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), on the other hand, will serve as the vice chairman of the Salt Council while representatives from the cooperatives will be chosen by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) from five nominees from Luzon and three from the Visayas and Mindanao.

The law takes effect 15 days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation, Malacañang said on Sunday.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, the principal sponsor of the bill in the Senate, said the law would breathe new life into the dying salt industry.

"This is a welcome development. We thank President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] for this opportunity and huge help to revive the country's salt industry," Villar said in a statement.

She described the law as a "prayer heard" for the sector's workers and stakeholders, who have been appealing for help to revitalize the salt industry.

She said the country's salt production accounts for only 16.782 percent or 114,000 metric tons of the 683,000 metric tons annual demand.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food said the law would address the expansion of the salt farms, which are concentrated in Pangasinan and Mindoro.

She said the DENR and BFAR are mandated to map out, identify, and designate public lands, including portions of municipal waters, as salt production areas within 60 days from the passage of RA 11985.

"Public land for salt production shall also be leased for a 25-year period, renewable for another 25 years, for use as salt farms," Villar said.

For this purpose, BFAR should issue the Salt Production Tenurial Instrument, which will give cooperatives and associations of subsistence, small producers, and farmers preferential treatment, she added.

"We need to meet the growing demand of Filipino households and the additional annual demand for 300,000 metric tons of salt as a coconut fertilizer under the 2021 Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act," Villar said.

RA 11985 also provides that the iodization of salt not intended for human consumption or local food production, as well as artisanal salt, should be rendered optional.

Importers, traders, and distributors of imported food-grade salt that will undertake fortification should comply with the iodization standards set by the Department of Health.

Villar said tariffs to be collected from imported salt will be plowed back into the industry with the creation of the Salt Industry Development and Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

WITH BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

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